Wednesday, July 05, 2006

- continued -

Sihanoukville is a completely different place from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is a coastal, hilly town. It is located at the South of Cambodia.

There are six beaches in this town, which I cannot remember all the names of those beaches. Very few people, less than 200,000 are living in this quiet town. The long beaches are of fine sand and clear water. There are not many tourists or westerners, mostly are the Cambodian people. There are many relaxing restaurant on the beach, with some beach chairs. I ordered a mixed fruit shake, just US$1, and then I could lied on the chair for a whole afternoon or morning. Being told by the motorbike driver, there are usually parties at night. I did not go as it was always raining. It is the rainy season.

Tourism has not yet developed very well, although there are many guesthouses and hotels. I think the biggest business there should be the port. There is a big port, and then of course many containers and trucks. Yet in the coming future digging oil will be another big business since the oil reserve was discovered in 2004 and some companies invested it.

Sihanoukville in fact is a small town. Green is everywhere. There is forest as well. Going into the forest you can find waterfall. The waterfall is not a huge one, but still you can feel the power of the nature. Particularly did I because I went there when it was pouring. It did stop but the water volume was huge. I stood very close to the waterwall, and heard the sound of the water pouring down like some kind of roars. There were some children and they jumped into water, which seemed very exciting. Some people took picture when they stood in the stream. It was not very developed, so it was still very natural that one should not miss it. There was a crocodile pond as well, but I did not look at it carefully.

Spending there is more expensive than Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, but the reason is not clear to me. I stayed there for two days, absolutely not enough. I went to all the beaches, and one of them was very quiet without people. I went into the sea and enjoyed the silence. The beach was likely mine.

The rock there is very awesome. It is a special kind of rock which I could not recall the name. That makes me want to study geography again. It is really an interesting subject. It is like a kind of shale with some layers, or a kind of sendimentary rock along the coast. They are gorgeous. Besides you can find the power of sea water erosion. The water was stroking the rock and finally erode the stones. I always love to see all of these things.

Something to add is I went there by bus for four hours from Phnom Penh. The bus fare is inexpensive as US$4. It is worthwhile to go to this small town.

No comments: